A key pillar of this partnership is recruitment and training collaboration. Under the agreement, Papua New Guineans can now join the Australian Defence Force (ADF), with pathways opening from January 2026. This is a major shift, with projections suggesting thousands of Papua New Guineans could eventually serve in Australian ranks.

Such arrangements require absolute confidence in the integrity of recruitment systems within the Papua New Guinea Defence Force. Any perception of political interference, favouritism, or corruption does not remain a domestic issue—it directly affects Australia’s national security interests as well.

This is where the controversy surrounding Billy Joseph becomes deeply problematic. Allegations of recruitment bias within PNGDF—particularly claims that political influence shaped enlistment—strike at the very foundation of merit-based military systems. Even without a final legal determination, the optics alone are damaging.

The fact that Joseph reportedly stepped aside to allow investigations into these allegations reinforces the seriousness of the situation. In governance terms, stepping aside is often a signal that the matter has escalated beyond routine criticism and into a potential institutional crisis.

From Australia’s perspective, this creates a dilemma. Canberra has invested heavily in PNG’s defence capacity, viewing it as central to regional stability and its Pacific strategy. But strategic partnerships rely not just on shared interests, but on trust in leadership and systems.

If recruitment processes in PNG are perceived to be compromised, Australia risks importing those weaknesses into its own military through the recruitment pathway. This is not a theoretical concern—defence forces depend on discipline, professionalism, and political neutrality. Any erosion of these principles could have long-term consequences.

Moreover, the treaty itself envisions increasing integration between the two forces, including personnel exchanges and joint operations. If leadership controversies persist at the ministerial level, it undermines confidence in the governance of that integration.

There is also a reputational dimension. Australia, as a regional leader, promotes transparency, rule of law, and institutional integrity. Continuing close defence dealings with a minister under investigation risks sending the wrong message—not only within PNG, but across the Pacific.

This does not mean Australia should abandon its partnership with Papua New Guinea. The relationship is too important, historically and strategically. But it does suggest that engagement should be recalibrated—focused on institutions, oversight mechanisms, and verified processes rather than individuals under scrutiny.

In that context, Billy Joseph should not be at the centre of defence dealings while serious allegations remain unresolved. Leadership in the defence sector demands unimpeachable credibility. Until investigations are concluded, his continued involvement risks weakening both PNG’s internal military integrity and Australia’s confidence in the partnership.

Ultimately, this moment is a test—not just for one minister, but for the strength of governance in Papua New Guinea. If the system can investigate transparently and act decisively, the partnership with Australia will emerge stronger. If not, Canberra will have every reason to think twice about how far and how fast defence integration should proceed.


Let your voice be heard, send your commentaries to : email : pngfacts@gmail.com

By George Lemako,
A troubling culture has quietly taken root in Papua New Guinea — the growing dependence on so-called “middle men” to access services that should normally be provided through proper systems. This practice is no longer isolated. It has become widespread, normalised, and deeply harmful to the country’s social and institutional foundations.

Instead of following official procedures, many people are now encouraged to go through individuals who claim to have “connections.” These middle men present themselves as gatekeepers to jobs, education, transfers, documents, and even personal relationships. In truth, many are exploiting desperation, limited information, and slow government processes to enrich themselves.

One of the most disturbing examples appears in personal and family matters. Money is increasingly handed to middle men to “talk on behalf” of someone seeking a girlfriend or marriage arrangement. These individuals exaggerate demands, misrepresent families, and quietly pocket large sums. What should be a respectful cultural process becomes a business transaction driven by deception.

The same behaviour is widespread in employment. Job seekers are told to pay a “connection fee” to people who claim to know someone inside an office. In most cases, the employer has no knowledge of such arrangements. Young people, desperate for work, lose their money and confidence, while the middle men walk away untouched.

In the education sector, the abuse is even more damaging. Teachers are pressured to pay money for postings or transfers to preferred locations. Education authorities receive nothing, yet teachers are left frustrated and financially strained. Even worse, some middle men promise to push school dropouts into universities or teachers colleges by bypassing entry requirements. Families are charged huge amounts, fake acceptance letters are issued, and young people lose both their savings and their future when the fraud is exposed.

Public servants are not spared either. Middle men claim they can “activate” salaries or fast-track payroll processing. Payments are made in hope, but salaries remain unpaid. By the time victims realise they have been deceived, the middle man has disappeared.

Another dangerous practice involves the printing of letters, references, approvals, and certificates. Many of these documents are forged or altered to look official. Some even carry fake signatures and stamps. When such documents are discovered, innocent users face disciplinary action or legal trouble, while institutions suffer reputational damage.

The idea of fast-tracking services has become a convenient excuse for exploitation. Middle men inflate costs, deliberately delay processes, or deliver nothing at all. They thrive in confusion and weak enforcement, turning public frustration into personal profit.

The truth must be said clearly: middle men do not fix broken systems — they poison them. They encourage corruption, weaken trust, and normalise dishonesty. Every time someone pays a middle man, the system becomes weaker and the cycle deepens.

Papua New Guinea cannot build strong institutions while this culture continues unchecked. Citizens must begin to reject shortcuts and refuse unofficial payments. Information must be verified directly with responsible offices. Accountability must replace convenience.

The message is simple but urgent:

• Deal directly with the rightful office.
  
• Question anyone asking for “connection money.”
• Refuse unofficial fees.

Middle men enrich themselves — not you, not your family, and not the nation.

One crucial step you should consider is pegging the country’s currency and implementing a fixed exchange rate, similar to what former Prime Minister Peter O'Neill did in 2014. When you came into power, the decision to float the kina and devalue it, under the advice of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), was a mistake. The devaluation has only led to import inflation, increasing the cost of goods and services across the country.

Businesses are now paying more for imports due to the weak kina, and this additional cost is being passed down to consumers. This is why the prices of everyday goods continue to rise, and they will likely keep rising as long as the kina remains weak. Many businesses that cannot handle these economic pressures are scaling down their operations or shutting down altogether, leading to higher unemployment across the country.

Unemployment and economic instability often lead to a rise in crime, as people become desperate to make ends meet. There is a direct connection between job losses and increased criminal activity. While addressing law and order is essential, it must go hand in hand with economic reforms. Without fixing the economy, crime will continue to escalate, adding another layer of complexity to the nation's problems.

Papua New Guinea's economy relies heavily on its extractive industries, including gold, silver, nickel, cobalt, and natural gas. These sectors account for 83% of the country’s total exports and are the main sources of foreign exchange (forex). The government must prioritize negotiations and work to reopen projects such as Papua LNG, P’nyang, and Wafi Golpu. These projects are essential for bringing in much-needed foreign currency and stabilizing the economy.

At the same time, it is crucial to build and revitalize the agriculture sector. The country cannot afford to rely solely on the extractive industries for economic growth. Bringing in top Israeli agriculture companies to revamp old plantations could be a game-changer. These efforts should be focused on building new towns, cities, schools, and hospitals around these agricultural hubs to prevent overcrowding in major cities. Rural development is key to achieving balanced economic growth.

When the economy begins to recover and people have money in their pockets, the government can then turn its attention to strengthening law enforcement and addressing the country’s law and order issues. Economic empowerment will lead to more stable communities, and this will lay the groundwork for developing a vibrant tourism industry that can further diversify the economy.

This path forward is not complicated; it simply requires practical, realistic steps that can be implemented quickly. The time for lofty promises and grand visions is over. What Papua New Guinea needs are simple, actionable solutions that will provide immediate relief and long-term growth. Let us move away from pipe dreams and focus on policies that deliver tangible results for the people.

Prime Minister Marape, the responsibility for these reforms rests with you. The country is watching and waiting for you to take the lead in securing a better future for all Papua New Guineans.

Also read

• Opinion: PNG Citizens Seek Australian Intervention for Caretaker Government
• PNG Politics And Politicians Are Sinking PNG Instead Of Taking It Back From Sinking

By Ruben PULI

Amidst a grave situation in Papua New Guinea (PNG), citizens are making an unprecedented plea to the Australian Government, seeking assistance through the establishment of a caretaker government. The current state of affairs in PNG is dire, characterized by significant financial woes that have burdened an already impoverished population and low-income public servants with hefty taxes.

I propose the following penalties under the leadership code law.
1. K50 000 to K100 000 court fine 
2. Dismissal from office for life 
3. 20 years life imprisonment 
4. Repay funds misused with 500% interest and forfiet everything back to the state.
The country needs tough laws to change leaders mindsets from general corruption and stealing public funds.
Under the leadership code law, leaders cannot be arrested, charged, locked up in police cell and sentenced to prison for stealing thousands and millions of kina.
However under the summary offence act and criminal code act, ordinary person can be arrested, charged, locked up in police cell and sentenced to prison for stealing cheesepop, biscuit, lolly and 10t only. 
We have two sets of law in PNG.

​Next : More Than Half Of PNG Parliamentarians Jet On Lavish Ride For A Rugby League Match In Australia

#StopCorruptioninPNG 
​About 72 politicians and department heads visited Brisbane, Australia last weekend for the Prime Minister’s XIII rugby league match.
The entourage was joined by Prime Minister James Marape and included 13 CEOs, heads of departments and is estimated to have cost over K3 million in airfares, transportation, hotel accommodation, tickets to Suncorp Stadium, allowances and incidentals.
While Papua New Guinean’s watched the game live on TV back home, they were seen lapping it up at the Suncorp Stadium where the PNG team was thrashed by the Australians.

In a country where corruption is a serious development roadblock and money is scarce for schools and medicines and where the maternal mortality rate is extremely high, the funded trip is likely to draw the ire of voters from all quarters of the country.
At a time when the election of those travellers (see separate front page story) are being questioned in the PNG Court of disputed returns, the fact that that nearly half of the PNG Parliament was in Australia for a rugby league match would be scandalous to say the least.
Most of the leaders, about 52 MPs, the rest CEOs and HoDs that travelled were new MPs including several Ministers.
The Post-Courier has been reliably informed that most MPs and CEOs left on Thursday on Air Niugini and the rest on Friday and Saturday through both Qantas and Air Niugini.
The Post-Courier has a list of the MPs and CEOs that travelled, many on business class, executive club members and economy.
The paper also has pictures of many of the leaders that went over to watch the game.
All the leaders were seated in corporate boxes to watch the matches while Papua New Guineans back home crowed around radios and small TV stands in outback villages, towns and city settlements to follow the match.
About 28 business class seats on these three days were occupied at a cost of – Business class – K4212.70 one way cheapest and K6468.70 one way (normal) compared to Thursday where the normal fare is K3212.50 one way, special of K2882.50 one way, the lowest K1542.50 one way limited to only frequent flyers.
The hotel (named) where the leaders stayed also could not fully comment on the questions sent, but the paper was reliably told by the named hotel that 62 rooms were booked by the PNG delegation.
They advised one room was charged A$480 and A$600 respectively one night.
Prime Minister’s XIII, or sometimes informally referred to as the PM’s XIII, is the name of a representative rugby league team, comprising Australian players from National Rugby League clubs that did not qualify for the NRL Finals, or whose teams were knocked out during the first three weeks of the finals.
The PM’s XIII is a celebrity exhibition match between Australian and PNG rugby league teams where the Prime Ministers of both country’s are the main guests.
While Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese turned up for the game himself, PNG’s James Marape lined up for the kickoff with almost the second PM’s XIII team, drawing an Australian journalist to remark about the absurdity of the situation.
Most of the delegation arrived back on Monday, yesterday and some are coming in today.

Source : Post Courier /CorruptionWatchPNG

Next : PNG ​Prime Minister Marape Won In PNG's Failed Election

By Okuk Rogerson 
"Prime Minister James Marape Won In A Very Funny PNG Democratic Style Election."
So Prime Minister James Marape's electorate-Tari Pori , was first to vote in PNG followed by speed counting and declaration where he won by absolute majority in record time while rest of PNG is yet to vote , some voted with counting and declaration to be made within weeks and even months from now. This would never happen in true democracies around the world. No wonder PNG is ranked very high on world corruption perception index.
Now that he won he has time on his side to consolidate his reckless and destructive team.

Provincial police commander Inspector Robin Bore said the five were arrested and detained at the Tari police station and later released on a K2,000 bail each.
“They were supposed to appear for first mention on Monday but because of the polling, the case was adjourned,” he said.
“The case and all the evidence, including the cash, have been handed over to the Investigation Task Force Unit from police headquarters who will be conducting the investigation (for the sake of) transparency.”
The five include a company director, Marape’s son, and three of their tribesmen.
Marape also said he did not know about the money nor was he connected in any way to the K1.3 million bust.

The National/PNG Corruption Watch 
​
Next : Papua New Guinea In A Corruption Cycle